Baskerville hound from hell runs riot
ROLL over Beast of Cumbria – there is a new grisly predator in town.
Keswick is famously one of England’s most dog-friendly towns and now Theatre By The Lake has unleashed The Hound of the Baskervilles – a side-splitting crime spoof that will have you howling.
Imagine the world’s most celebrated gothic mystery turned on its head.
Is Watson the brains of the outfit? Is Sherlock Holmes really dressed as a hotdog dancing to Kylie? Let’s just say the tail wags the dog in this breathless comedy romp across London and Dartmoor.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most pensive and atmospheric Holmes adventure published in The Strand Magazine in 1901 cemented his reputation as the maestro of the crime thriller. That immortal line from Sherlock about the forbidding Great Grimpen Mire: “It’s a worthy setting if the devil did indeed desire to have a hand in the affairs of men”
It’s such a difficult story to capture. From Peter Cushing to Benedict Cumberbatch it’s a brave actor that takes on the iconic role. If ever there was a chilling and tense storyline that needed taking down a peg or two then Doyle’s lurid tale is fair game.
Director John Nicholson has concocted a self-effacing, mischievous slapstick overhaul.
Playful, off-piste and yet diligent to Conan Doyle’s story. It’s a macabre-tinged parody literally of two halves as the pea soup fog of Victorian London and Baker Street lingers into eerie Dartmoor. Frenetic and embracing the second half was riotous and had the audience off their seats at times.
‘Holmesians’ who know the story well -will delight at how the narrative has been hilariously deconstructed. It’s witty, on point and loaded with leftfield cameos. Holmes the authoritative consulting detective, master of disguise, super sleuth all deliciously debunked. The iconic moments are humorously stooged. The Baskerville family gallery scene is a wonderful spectacle. Talk about thinking on your feet.
The cast of three Helena Antoniou, Katy Daghorn and David Hearn seamlessly make for a funky, resourceful ensemble of characters.
A Rotating stage, dummies, dry ice, quirky audience interventions and athletic costume changes so rapid it could be an Olympic event.
Hearn is a superb comedy actor. You may have seen him as Richard Hannay in the 39 steps at TBTL and he offers a sublime variety of comedy alter ego’s reminiscent at times of a young sinew straining John Cleese or gormless blank-faced Hugh Laurie. His burlesque rinsing of Sir Henry Baskerville’s love interest petticoat donning Beryl Garcia Stapleton is supreme comfort theatre.
This is an affectionate upstaging of Conan Doyle’s masterpiece -daring and intense. Fun for the family too – it was charming to see children giggling away at moments of…well…pure silliness. Hound of the Baskervilles is a gripping genre hopping flight of fancy that drags you out of the quagmire and lands you in a happy place.
Pictures by Hugo Glendinning
